nd she broke it.

"It would look a good deal better," she said, "if you have time to do it.
Max and I will put up the flags."

She had meant to say something that would give her a better control of the
situation, but it sounded very flat and disagreeable--and she had not
meant it to sound disagreeable. Indeed, as soon as the words were out, and
she felt his eyes on her, and she knew that she was blushing, she was not
sure that she had meant it at all. Perhaps that was why, when Bannon
asked, in a low voice, "Would you rather Max would help you?" she turned
away and answered in a cool tone that did not come from any one of her
rushing, struggling thoughts, "If you don't mind."

She did not see the change that came over his face, the weary look that
meant that the strain of a week had suddenly broken, but she did not need
to see it, for she knew it was there. She heard him step down from the
platform, and then she watched him as he walked down the aisle to meet
Max, who was bringing up the flags. She wondered impatiently why Bannon
did not call to him. Then he raised his head, but before a word had left
his lips she was speaking, in a clear tone that Max could plainly hear.
She was surprised at herself. She had not meant to say a word, but out it
came; and she was conscious of a tightening of her nerves and a defiant
gladness that at last her real thoughts had found an outlet.

"Max," she said, "won't you go out and get enough napkins to put at all
the places? You'll have to hurry."

Bannon was slow in turning; when he did there was a peculiar expression on
his face.

"Hold on, there," called a waiter. "There ain't time to fold them."

"Yes, there is," said Bannon, shortly. "The boys can wait."

"But dinner's most ready now."

"Then I guess dinner's got to wait, too." The waiter looked disgusted, and
Max hurried out. Bannon gathered up the flags and came to the platform.
Hilda could not face him. For an instant she had a wild impulse to follow
Max. She finally turned her back on Bannon and leaned her elbows on a
chair, looking over the wall for a good place to hang the flags. She was
going to begin talking about it as soon as he should reach the platform.
The words were all ready, but now he was opposite her, looking across the
table with the red and white bundle in his arms, and she had not said it.
Her eyes were fixed on a napkin, studying out the curious Japanese design.
She could hear his breathing and her ow